2015 August 17 « Antinuclear

A top Submission on Nuclear Waste Importing for South Australia

The Commission’s whole aim is to further the drive to make South Australia the World’s nuclear toilet. So, the Submissions on this topic of importing nuclear wastes are especially important.

NGOPPON TOGETHER INC sent in a top Submissions on all 4 Issues papers

Excerpts from NGOPPON TOGETHER INC – Submission on Issues Paper 4 – Management, Storage and Disposal of Wastes.

“…..Ngoppon Together’s answer [to Australia’s Lucas Heights wastes] – leave it where it is, where the expertise is, in Lucas Heights where it won’t be out of sight, out of mind; so that we avoid the hope of the pro-nuclear lobby and the consequent burgeoning of high and intermediate level waste in having finally established a repository, nuclear power will be far more possible (and the pressure to establish a nuclear power reactor thus increase.)

Measured by radioactivity, spent nuclear fuel reprocessing waste from Lucas Heights reactors accounts for over 90% of the waste the Government wants to dump … Although the volume of this waste is relatively small – some tens of cubic metres – it is by far the most radioactive material “ANSTO is capable of handling and storing wastes for long periods of time. There is no difficulty with that.” Dr Ron Cameron, ANSTO.(Lucas Heights (quoted in ‘Nuclear Freeways ‘)…….

Of course other countries would be delighted to know that some other country would be both so foolish and foolhardy to be prepared to accept their radioactive waste – dangerous for 100,000 years or more!

BUT What price could the receivers possibly put on the likely and irreversible damage to their country

and waters, its people, its children? In such a vast country to discount the potential high level dangers of transport? Do we have no responsibility towards the future generations of South Australian and indeed Australian children?

One can envisage future court cases which will be fought in the future for damages incurred by citizens – similar to those fought regarding asbestos – with the difference being that all the evidence for not going ahead with such a clearly dangerous scheme was indeed well known at the time. And with a far more widespread, serious and totally irreversible situation at stake…….

Ngoppon Together strongly refutes the muddled, quite fallacious so-called ‘ethics’ argument – We export and so are ethically bound to receive waste. This argument fails, as the people do not choose to export uranium but Governments and companies do. Aboriginal people oppose digging up uranium on their land in the first place and then to compound the burden, in the past at least are faced with the waste being imposed on them and their lands, waste that is up to one million times more reactive after enrichment. Our members point out the obvious realityif any government imports uranium then they import the responsibility for dealing with the implications of the purchase. Fewer than 1 in 6 South Australians are inclined towards reactors or waste dumps in S.A. We remind the Commission of their duties – to inform clearly and fully the SA Community of the facts and implications , rather than to persuade and cajole………

August 17, 2015 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Submissions to Royal Commission S.A. | Leave a comment

Radioactive trash storage would ruin South Australia’s vital fishing, agricultural and tourist industries

From Submission to Royal Commission on Nuclear Fuel Chain NGGOPPON TOGETHER INC, Michele Madigan“……….A nuclear industry particularly a radioactive storage facility for high or intermediate level waste in South Australia would undermine and even destroy the state’s vital fishing, agricultural, world famous wine and also the tourism sectors. If such a facility is established the State’s largely clean, green image will be impossible to sustain.

Tourist destinations obviously lose appeal when travel arrangements are considered – a possibility of sharing the road or railtrack with highly toxic radioactive waste, whether marked or not: not every SA tourist place is accessible by plane (ANSTO has acknowledged that there are 1-2 accidents or ‘incidents’ every year involving the transportation of radioactive materials to and from the Lucas Heights reactor plant.

The NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into radioactive waste found there “is no doubt that the transportation of radioactive waste increases the risk of accident or incident – including some form of terrorist intervention”.) If South Australia has sometimes been in danger of being known as a ‘cinderella ‘ state, any former such thought will be multiplied enormously. Action – withdrawal, loss of population, loss of industries especially food industries.

The positive alternative is still possible as SA presently is the leading state in renewable energy and has the opportunity if taken by government to go down this positive healthy path to maintain a clean, safe country and waters, safe and healthy employment opportunities and for the safety, health and well being of all of its citizens. ……

August 17, 2015 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Submissions to Royal Commission S.A. | Leave a comment

1.This month.

The Road to War brings a sharp focus to why it is not in Australia’s best interest to be dragged into a war with China which will almost inevitably go nuclear very quickly. The filmmaker has interviewed some of Australia’s senior foreign policy analysts who have vast experience behind them in analysing what really is going on here as the United States rattles its sabres with China. And sets us up to be its proxy, like the poor Ukranians have been fed into the Meatgrinder. So America can remain the Top Dog. The Road to War reveals how the United States through its spy base at Pine Gap and by stationing six nuclear capable B52 bombers in the Top End (without permission from the traditional owners) is making Australia a prime nuclear target if the current war of words suddenly melts down into full scale war.

The Road to War shows the implicit connection between Carbon emissions (the US military uses a whopping 70% of America’s annual petroleum to move its armies and vast War Machine around the globe to its 800+ military bases..but under a loophole wangled at Kyoto, the US military does not have to report its C02 annual emissions). The Road to War starts screening at selected cities and regional centres in March. See the trailer end for details.